In 1983, Brian De Palma and Al Pacino collaborated on Scarface. The film was a box office success and despite poor reviews, it became a classic. Ten years later, De Palma and Pacino re-teamed for another Latino gangster movie featuring the Carlitos way. The reviews and the box office were modest, however, over time, it gained a cult following.
But despite being considered a classic and iconic, it is the stylized, ultraviolent Scarface Really better than Carlito’s personal story of redemption, told in an exciting way? There are reasons why De Palma and Pacino’s second gangster movie is often considered better than the first and others that demonstrate why. Scarface it is considered a classic.
10 Carlito’s Way: Scarface has become a parody
While Scarface is considered more of a classic than the Carlitos way, therein lies one of its biggest drawbacks. Al Pacino’s over-the-top performance has become so iconic that, over the years, it has become a parody. At the time of the film’s release, audiences were wowed by Pacino’s hypnotic performance, but because the film’s dialogue and Pacino’s Cuban accent have become so quotable and hilariously imitable, today Scarface it may seem like a comedy.
Watching the movie today is like watching someone do an Al Pacino-Tony Montana impression, which lessens the effect of the performance, and therefore the impact of the movie. the Carlitos way it’s actually helped by the fact that it’s less iconic and has no cultural ties.
9 Scarface: is more influential
While the Carlitos way generally likes, Scarface it is considered a classic and iconic. It is also considered one of the best gangster movies ever made and although the Carlitos way It implies crime, it is not that influential. This is evident by the number of people who, today, adorn themselves with the iconic t-shirt that features the movie poster. The style of the film had an impact due to its depiction of the excessive lifestyle of the rich and powerful.
By Scarface The release coincided with the rise of hip-hop and since its release, it has been mentioned in many rap songs, often including a sample from the film’s soundtrack. Even Wesley Snipes gangster character in New jack city clocks Scarface by inspiration.
8 Carlito’s Way: it’s more suspense
Brian De Palma has always been a student of Hitchcock and uses all the tricks in his book to the Carlitos way. This is evident in the billiard room scene, when Carlito watches a gangster who is about to kill his nephew while at the same time preparing a billiard shot that he will use to defend himself.
Later, when Carlito learns that the mob is after him, he must get his money and escape his bar avoiding detection, while the propellant rhythm of Patti LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade” plays. Then soon after, there is a thrilling chase through the subway to Grand Central Terminal that makes the hearts of the public pound.
7 Scarface: was more relevant
Unlike other gangster movies, which are usually about Italians, Scarface takes a unique approach and frames the story around the real world events weather. In 1980, a huge wave of 125,000 Cubans emigrated to Florida from the Puerto del Mariel in Cuba.
This group of immigrants included some gang members who would come to be known as the Marielitos. These gangs focused their efforts on drug trafficking and screenwriter Oliver Stone used this as the basis for his story, which gave the film a real context.
6 Carlito’s path: the story is more original
the Carlitos way is based on a book called After hours Y Scarface is a remake of a 1932 movie. Scarface puts a new spin on the material, it remains a repeated story of a gangster’s rise to power. Nevertheless, the Carlitos way it is a story of redemption. It is about a reformed gangster who can’t seem to escape the life of crime.
Throughout the film, Carlito fights Benny Blanco, a young gangster who reminds him of himself. In the end, Blanco kills Carlito. Blanco represents Carlito’s younger self, his past, and that’s what ultimately kills him. However, before you die, you can do one last good thing, namely, give your love a baby and save her life. Like many De Palma films, the Carlitos way it’s about loss and it’s tragically romantic. That makes the Carlitos way What is truly romantic is that Carlito finds what he was looking for, which is something that he previously considered unattainable, and then tragically discovers that it is.
5 Scarface: is more profitable
While the Carlitos way is a beautifully written David Koepp script, Oliver Stone wrote the dialogue that has since become iconic. Phrases like “Say good night to the bad guy” and, of course, “Say hello to my little friend” have become part of the collective unconscious.
While the Carlitos way has great dialogue, stone infused By Scarface dialogue with an energy, determination and rawness that audiences have remembered and cited since the film was released nearly 40 years ago.
4 Carlito’s Way: the cast and characters are better
While Scarface Featuring star performances from Michelle Pfeiffer and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, he is best known for Al Pacino hammering the screen. Nevertheless, the Carlitos way It has a great cast and the success of the film is not due only to Pacino’s performance. Tony Montana is not a nice or understanding character, but Carlito is, and the audience supports him.
Penelope Ann Miller is great as a woman who has turned to striptease after struggling to make her dream come true. Sean Penn plays a mean, cocaine-addicted, and nefarious lawyer, and both Miller and Penn received Golden Globe nominations for their performances.
3 Scarface: contains fewer stereotypes
the Carlitos way he has often been accused of failing in his attempt at realism. Critics criticized Pacino’s Puerto Rican accent, and for sometimes slipping into the southern accent he used previously to Women perfume. Sean Penn plays a misleading lawyer who comes across as a Jewish stereotype, irritating the character’s clear base, lawyer Alan Dershowitz.
Towards the end, members of the Italian mafia go after Carlito, and while the chase is exciting, the killers are gangster cartoons that are awkward, silly, and over the top moment.
two Carlito’s Way: Scarface’s music is dated
the Carlitos way has a beautiful score by composer Patrick Doyle that is romantically haunting, tragic, and urgently rhythmic, particularly during the chase sequence between Carlito and the mobsters.
In contrast, music producer Giorgio Moroder provided By Scarface score, then famous for being a pioneer of new wave and electronic music. However, since then the score has become outdated due to heavy use of synthesizers that make it sound like an elevator muzak or something heard in an 80s club.
1 Scarface: it’s more innovative
While the Carlitos way it is superbly run, many feel there is nothing new about it. It excels at everything that makes a movie great, but innovative. Scarface it was more subversive and his style more original. While By Scarface story is nothing new, his presentation was pioneering in gangster cinema after The Godfather traditional beauty and before good friends kinetic insanity.
He pushed the boundaries of violence and his depiction of the excesses and consequences of the criminal lifestyle, which left audiences shocked and fascinated. Ultimately, when comparing the two, audiences must decide what matters most to them: does a movie have to be great and groundbreaking to be considered the best, or does it just have to stand out for being great?
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